Terms and conditions for a caravan and motorhome repairer

A caravan and motorhome repairer needs terms that deal with vehicles occupying the yard for weeks while parts arrive, estimates that increase substantially once damp is exposed, owners who want their equipment returned, and invoices that go unpaid. I draft those terms around your workshop for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Workshops, mobile technicians and approved repairers in England and Wales working on touring caravans, motorhomes, campervans and static units. Most of your customers are private owners, who are consumers in law. Many repairers also invoice dealers, hire and rental fleets, insurers and warranty administrators, who are not. One set of terms has to be written with both groups in mind.

What matters in a caravan and motorhome repairer's terms

Estimates, diagnosis and what you find when the panel comes off

A damp repair cannot be priced from a meter reading alone. Your terms should separate the diagnostic or strip-down charge from the repair itself, say that the initial figure is an estimate based on what was visible, and set an authority limit above which you stop and get written approval before going further. Rotten battens, delaminated floors and corroded chassis outriggers are the usual causes. Where a consumer relies on information you give about the likely cost, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats that information as binding, so the wording on your estimate matters as much as the terms.

Parts, lead times and customer-supplied components

Window seals, fridges and body panels for older models can take months, and the owner may hold you responsible for the delay. Say that completion dates are estimates, that you are not liable for a manufacturer's lead time, and that storage charges may run if the van stays with you beyond an agreed period. Where you invoice a dealer or hire fleet, a retention of title clause under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 is worth having, although it does little once a part has been fitted into the vehicle. If you agree to fit parts the customer supplies, the terms should say you do not warrant them and charge for a return visit if they fail.

Mobile call-outs, storage sites and the fourteen-day cancellation right

A repair agreed at the owner's driveway, at a storage compound or over the phone falls within the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. The owner has fourteen days to cancel, and if you carry out the repair inside that window without their express request you may not be paid for it. There is an exception for urgent repairs the consumer asked for, covering that work only, so a call-out to a leaking roof before a booked holiday needs handling differently from a booked-in refurbishment. Missing cancellation information can extend the period by up to twelve months.

Vehicles on your site: risk, contents and unpaid bills

A motorhome parked in your yard is a large, valuable object at risk of damage. Your terms should state who insures the vehicle while it is with you, require the owner to remove personal effects, cash, gas bottles and anything outside your cover, and deal with keys, habitation door codes and test drives on the public road. They should also give you a contractual right to retain the vehicle against an unpaid invoice and to charge storage after a stated period, with a process for abandoned vehicles that follows section 12 of the Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977. Against a consumer, any default charge has to be proportionate to be enforceable.

Gas, electrics and habitation checks

Work on habitation gas appliances may only be carried out by an engineer registered under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, and your terms should say what your registration covers and what it does not. A habitation check is an inspection at a point in time, not a warranty that nothing will fail afterwards, and the terms should define what is inspected, what is excluded, and that recommendations are advisory until the owner authorises the work. Where you take away old appliances, batteries, waste fluids or stripped panels, registration as a waste carrier with the Environment Agency under the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989 is a point customers now ask about.

Guarantees on damp work, liability and trade customers

Damp guarantees cause more arguments than any other part of this trade, because water ingress can recur by a different route. If you offer one, define what it covers, for how long, and make it conditional on annual habitation servicing and on the owner not altering the bodywork. Your terms should cap liability to trade customers such as dealers and hire fleets and exclude loss of hire income, subject to the reasonableness test in the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977. No cap can remove liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, and against a consumer you cannot limit liability for a service to less than the price paid.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the terms and conditions drafting page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

Can I keep a customer's caravan until the bill is paid?

Holding a vehicle against an unpaid invoice is far safer when your terms give you an express right to do it, set out the storage charge that runs while you hold it, and were properly brought to the customer's attention before the work began. Without that, an owner turning up with a tow car puts you in a difficult position.

Do I need separate terms for dealers, hire fleets and insurers?

One set of terms can cover both if it contains a section applying only to private owners and commercial provisions that apply to trade accounts. Dealers and warranty administrators often send their own purchase terms with the job sheet, so the document also needs a clause dealing with which terms govern the repair.

The owner wants to supply their own fridge. Where does that leave me?

Fitting owner-supplied parts is a commercial decision, and your terms should let you decline it. If you accept, the wording should make clear that the part is not your supply, that you give no guarantee on it, and that removal, refitting and a further call-out are chargeable if it turns out to be faulty.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Employment contracts and handbooks, £595
• Terms and conditions for a gas engineer
• Terms and conditions for a handyman service

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.